Getting Down To Business

The role of Congress is to govern legislatively. The role of the majority Congressional party is to lead this process, or at least give it an all out try when an opposition party is set to block all reasonable paths forward. The 247 Republicans who make up the majority in Congress seem to have other ideas, or possibly are just plain incapable of leading. Republicans seem set on reversing existing laws, conducting foreign relations, or investigating issues for political purposes instead of doing the unique tasks that only they can do. What unique work? How about developing a Federal budget, ensuring there is adequate funding to ensure government operation, and under no circumstances, creating conditions where the US might default on its debt.

Hmmm.

For sure Congress can (and some may say should) put forth new laws or consider repeal of existing ones. Commonsense, however, mandates the unique roles of Congress must come first.

Presidential hopefuls act as if they are not part of the essential “roles of government”. Candidates seem more at home stretching outer limits of “hyperbole”. Candidates seem at ease stretching the truth and in many cases just making up statements they pass off as truth. This is a disease of politicians be they Republican or Democrat. Never the less, there are important clues illuminating how interested a Presidential candidate might be about assisting in performing the critical roles of government by sifting through the piles of rhetoric.

The question which Americans ought to be asking is “which candidate is fit to lead the country and will that candidate lead the executive branch so that the unique and essential roles of government are performed?”

Republicans are set on taking over the White House. Nothing new with that statement. One must, however, wonder whether the GOP candidates are cognizant of how their primary rhetoric translate into voter disbelief over their fitness to govern?

Over the weekend, a number of GOP hopefuls (Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee) gathered at Prestonwood Baptist Church near Dallas, Texas. The evangelical audience wanted the candidates to discuss their religious views in the context of running for President. The candidates who wanted the attendees vote seemed comfortable applying their “love of god and the Bible” to anti-gay, anti-immigrant, and anti-women’s rights issues.

Ben Carson claimed it was time to “bring god back to our country”. (I wonder what he means by that? I am pretty sure the god he is talking about is not the Jewish god or the Muslim god. The audience seemed to know in any case and welcomed his words.)

Apparently the candidates did not feel a need to discuss taxes, entitlements, or fixing the infrastructure. And no candidate seemed concerned about the government shutting down or the country defaulting on its debt. I am guessing that these issues are not priority items on the faith based agenda. Foreign affairs did not make the cut either, probably because Carson’s goal of bringing god back to our country did not need the messiness of foreign affairs. Hmmm.

The Senate will attempt today to vote, not on a spending authorization or increasing the debt level, but on eliminating Federal funds from any “sanctuary city”. The country is only a few weeks away from a government shut down and the Republican lead Senate wants to vote on a measure which will never become law, and in the greater picture of immigration reform and inclusiveness, should never be a political issue.

It would seem open and shut that the current crop of GOP legislators and Presidential candidates are not fit for prime time. They are not fit to lead. Correction, they might be fit to lead strongly held minority views but certainly this avocation disqualifies them from leading a pluralistic, free and open America.

If this “pray-in” qualifies as getting down to business, these six GOP candidates do not know what the unique and essential roles of government are.